Estonia awards Narva Museum director Cross of Merit for defending European values
Narva Museum Director Maria Smorževskihh-Smirnova has been presented with a Cross of Merit by the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for her contributions to defending European values and countering Russian aggression.
The award ceremony took place on November 12 as part of the celebration of the 107th anniversary of the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
A total of 24 people were awarded the Cross of Merit for their services to Estonia.
The First Class Cross of Merit was awarded to Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen and Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski.
In addition to Valtonen and Sikorski, another 22 people were awarded second and third class crosses of Merit.
Among them was Narva Museum Director Maria Smorževskihh-Smirnova, who was given the award for her contributions to countering Russian aggression and propaganda, as well as for defending European values and freedom of speech.
The full list of awardees is available here.
Earlier this year, a Moscow court sentenced Smorževskihh-Smirnova to 10 years in prison in absentia after charging the museum director with the "rehabilitation of Nazism and public dissemination of knowingly false information about the Russian Armed Forces."
The charges relate to a banner that has been displayed on the wall of Narva Fortress (belonging to the Narva Museum), on May 9 – the day Russia marks "Victory Day" to commemorate World War II – every year since 2023.
Badge of honor
Smorževskihh-Smirnova told ERR she considered her place on Russia's wanted list to be a badge of honor.
In October, Smorževskihh-Smirnova said that for museums and the entire cultural sphere, it is impossible to turn a blind eye to the war in Ukraine, which was unleashed by Russia.
"Culture cannot ignore the war. The war has been going on for four years. For four years, we, along with the rest of the museum community, have witnessed some absolutely horrific crimes against heritage. And what is culture and cultural heritage? It is the very thing that preserves the identity of a people and defines a nation," she said.
Smorževskihh-Smirnova also expressed outrage at the way Russia is manipulating history.
The museum director pointed out how Russia plays on the feelings of being involved in the victory of what it calls the "Great Patriotic War" – "while in fact replacing these concepts with the glorification of its aggression and war in Ukraine."
"We cannot remain silent," Smorževskihh-Smirnova said. "Because that would mean either that we are ignoring it or we agree with it. We cannot agree with this. Culture should never be silenced or blindfolded. Never."
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Editor: Michael Cole, Sergei Mihhailov
